


Falling Through

by izayoi_no_mikoto



Category: Silver Diamond
Genre: Bittersweet, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Nonnies Made Me Do It, Post-Canon, Returning Home, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2019-01-05 07:37:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12185739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izayoi_no_mikoto/pseuds/izayoi_no_mikoto
Summary: Rakan and Chigusa go home, and discover things are not quite the same.





	Falling Through

**Author's Note:**

> Contains spoilers for the end of the series.

It's decided that it's probably best for everyone if Rakan and Chigusa go back to Japan.  No shocking the people of Amato with their miraculous resurrection, no stunting the baby steps everyone has taken toward rebuilding and navigating a world without them.  "Besides," Narushige says with a gentle smile, "after everything you two have done, you deserve to have that life.  A calm, peaceful life."

"A _my pace_ life!" Kou interjects.

"We’ll come visit," Touji adds.  "We won't let you forget about us!"

Rakan and Chigusa glance at each other.   _They're right_ , Chigusa thinks.   _We should_.  And then his thoughts take on that tinge Rakan knows so well, part teasing, part fond, with that sharp tang that means he's about to say something-– _And I'd like to have you to myself for a while_.

Rakan buries his face in one palm and groans.   _I thought you were done wooing me, Chigusa_.

 _You're the one who wants me to come home with you_.

And Rakan can't even deny that; their minds are linked, and the helpless affection that wells up inside of him betrays him in ways that mere words never could.

"All right," Rakan agrees.  "But we'll come visit, and you'd better come visit us, too.  It's a promise!"

And after a million goodbyes that seem to last forever, Chigusa and Kinrei figure out how to open a portal back to Japan, and Rakan and Chigusa step through.

 _I'm going to miss everyone_ , Rakan thinks, already wistful.

 _It isn't forever_ , Chigusa thinks back.   _We'll see them again soon en–-_

And then they're in Japan, and Chigusa is _gone_.

The sound of his thoughts, his mental voice--it's _gone_ , and Rakan is, terrifyingly, alone in his own mind.  The moment he feels solid ground beneath his feet again, he spins around, eyes wide, and gasps, " _Chigusa_ –-"

"I'm here.  I'm here, Rakan.  I'm here."

Chigusa's embrace is crushing, but Rakan returns it with all the strength he has.  He's trembling all over, his mind scrambling for purchase.   _Chigusa's here_ , he tells himself, _Chigusa's here_ , over and over, but the mental silence that greets him is deafening.  If he didn't have Chigusa in his arms, warm and solid and _real_ , he might have given in entirely to panic.

But Chigusa _is_ here, and Rakan swallows and finds his voice again.  "What happened?" he asks.  His face is buried in Chigusa's shoulder, and the words emerge muffled.

"I’m not sure," Chigusa admits.  "I hadn't expected this."  He sounds so frustrated that Rakan pulls back just far enough to look up at him.  His brow is furrowed, his lips turned down in a frown.  He tilts his head to the side slightly, and Rakan can’t tell if he's trying to communicate mentally or if he's trying to visualize the settings of their bond.

The fact that Rakan can't tell makes him want to panic all over again.

"It must be something about this world," Chigusa says at last.  "I can't hear your thoughts, but our minds are still connected.  Things must be different here--I think this world just doesn’t facilitate telepathy."

He says _telepathy_ the English way, a foreign loan word, with just the right mix of confidence and uncertainty that Rakan _knows_ he learned it from Kou.  And weirdly enough, that's what calms him down.  Because this is still Chigusa, through and through.  Still his Chigusa.

"So basically you're saying this place has the telepathy version of crappy cell phone service," Rakan says.  He lets out a little laugh that somehow isn't hysterical.  "Well, that makes sense.  We are way out in the boonies, after all."

The reference to cell phones clearly goes way over Chigusa's head, but thankfully, he doesn't chase it.  He just rests his forehead against Rakan's, as though they can share thoughts that way, like they did before.  "I miss hearing you in my thoughts," he murmurs.  "But our minds are still linked.  Can you tell?"

Rakan screws his eyes shut and focuses.  It's hard, figuring out what he's searching for without Chigusa's mental voice guiding the way, but yes, there's still _something_ there, somewhere in his mind–-Chigusa's aura, Chigusa's presence, _Chigusa_.  "Yeah," he breathes.  "I can tell."

"See?  Even if you can't hear my thoughts, I'm still here.  Besides," Chigusa says softly, "we're bound together by more than just that."

And though Rakan can't hear Chigusa's thoughts anymore, he can still feel a vague, hazy undercurrent of emotion, and even though there are no words, Rakan understands it as well as any language, because it beats out a steady rhythm of _love, love, love_.

"You’re right," he says, and squeezes Chigusa tighter still.

**Author's Note:**

> (Inspired by the prompt: 100 words of telepathy)


End file.
